A temperature sensor and its manufacturing method

Abstract: This invention relates to a temperature sensor determining the temperature of catalyst provided to process automobile exhaust gas, and a manufacturing method thereof. Said temperature sensor consists of a heat resistant cap, and a thermistor element having a very little long-term resistivity change disposed within said heat-resistant cap, and lead-wires connected to said thermistor elements to connect said thermistor element to an external circuit. The major materials constituting said thermistor are expressed by a below-shown chemical formula and composition, and this is combined with a minor material of CaO, rare-earth oxide, ThO₂, or ZrO₂, or a combination of these. The thermistor is manufactured through the processes of mixing, calcination,pulverization, granulation, and sintering. (Al 1-x-y Cr x Fe y )₂O₃ 0.05 ≦ x + y ≦ 0.95, and 0.05 ≦ y/(x + y) ≦ 0.6

Description: FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a temperature sensor determining the temperature of catalyst provided to process automobile exhaust gas. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the increasing environmental and the fuel economy problems caused by a huge number of automobiles, catalyzers for processing the automobile exhaust gas have been extensively installed therein. However, in order to obtain the maximum benefit of catalyzer, its temperature has to be monitored exactly and constantly by using a temperature sensor having a long-term stability in the high temperature exhaust gas. Defining the thermal characteristics of temperature sensor more specifically, a temperature sensor having a long-term resistivity change less than ± 20% has to be employed in this case. The material of thermistor to be incorporated in the temperature sensor should be able to take a highest temperature of 1000°C and it should be operable within a temperature range from 300 to 700°C. Therefore, a Mg(Al, Cr) 2 O 4 system material has been developed and used. Fig. 1 shows a cross-section of a conventional temperature sensor showing a thermistor element 1 mounted at its tip. This type of thermistor element 1 can be obtained by inserting platinum pipes 2a and 2b into thermistor element 1 and by sintering thermistor element 1 at a high temperature afterward. Then, thus obtained thermistor element 1 is sealed in heat resistant cap 4 constituting a catalyzer temperature sensor shown in Fig. 1. At this time, platinum tubes 2a and 2b are welded to lead-tubes 3a and 3b in which lead-wires to connect thermistor element 1 to a proper external device are disposed. However, in the temperature sensor having the above construction, the metal atoms constituting the heat-resistant cap 4 tend to react with the oxygen atoms occuluded in cap 4, reducing the partial pressure of oxygen in cap 4. Therefore, in order to compensate the partial pressure of oxygen therein, oxygen has to be supplied from thermistor element 1. Moreover, since the reduction gases such as hydrogen and carbon monoxide gases generated in cap 4, are tend to combine with the oxygen gas in thermistor element 1, changing the composition of thermistor element 1. Thus, as a result of this, the long-term thermistor resistance stability which should be kept within ±20% is lost, and the exact determination of catalyzer temperature becomes impossible. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The objective of the present invention is to offer a temperature sensor incorporating a thermistor made of a material of high long-term resistance stability, and its manufacturing method at the same time. The temperature sensor consists of a heat-resistant cap, a thermistor disposed within said heat-resistant cap, and lead-wires bonded to said thermistor for connecting said thermistor to an external circuit, wherein said thermistor consists of a material having one of the chemical compositions A to E: A: (Al 1-x-y Cr x Fe y ) 2 O 3 wherein 0.05 ≤ x+y ≤ 0.95, 0.05 ≤ y/(x+y) ≤ 0.6. B: (Al 1-x-y Cr x Fe y ) 2 O 3 + a atomic% of CaO, wherein 0.05 ≤ x+y ≤ 0.95, 0.05 ≤ y/(x+y) ≤ 0.6, 0.1 ≤ a ≤ 5 and wherein (Al 1-x-y Cr x Fe y ) 2 O 3 = 100 atomic%. C: (Al 1-x-y Cr x Fe y ) 2 O 3 + a atomic% of rare-earth oxide + b atomic% of CaO, wherein 0.05 ≤ x+y ≤ 0.95, 0.05 ≤ y/(x+y) ≤ 0.6, 0.1 ≤ a ≤ 10, 0 < b < 5 and wherein (Al 1-x-y Cr x Fe y ) 2 O 3 = 100 atomic%. D: (Al 1-x-y Cr x Fe y ) 2 O 3 + a atomic% of ThO 2 + b atomic% of CaO, wherein 0.05 < x+y < 0.95, 0.05 < y/(x+y) < 0.6, 0.01 < a < 10, 0 < b < 5 and wherein (Al 1-x-y Cr x Fe y ) 2 O 3 = 100 atomic%. E: (Al 1-x-y Cr x Fe y ) 2 O 3 + a atomic% of ZrO 2 + b atomic% of CaO, wherein 0.05 < x+y < 0.95, 0.05 < y/(x+y) < 0.6, 01 < a < 30, 0 < b < 5 and wherein (Al 1-x-y Cr x Fe y ) 2 O 3 = 100 atomic%. The temperature sensor is manufactured by the method as defined in claim 6. The effects of the temperature sensor are now briefly explained below. According to the structures of the thermistor of the temperature sensor, these belong to a solid-solution consisting of a high-resistivity Al 2 O 3 having a corundum structure, P-type Cr 2 O 3 , and N-type Fe 2 O 3 . The resistivity of P-type material is increased by loosing its oxygen atoms, while the resistivity of N-type material is decreased by the same. Therefore the resistivity change of the thermistor can be minimized by mixing P-type and N-type materials, and by this, the electrical resistivity of the thermistor can be stabilized for a long period even if oxygen atoms are lost from the thermistor element at high-temperature, making the exact catalyzer temperature measurement possible. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 shows a cross-section of a temperature sensor which is an embodiment of the invention, and Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of a thermistor incorporated in said temperature sensor. DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT An embodiment of the invention is now explained by referring the attached drawings and tables. The constructions of the invented temperature sensors shown in Figs. 1 and 2 are identical with the construction of conventional sensors. Since the difference is only in the constituting material, the relationships between the constituting materials and the thermistor characteristics are explained below. Embodiment 1 As the starting materials, proper amounts of Al 2 O 3 , Cr 2 O 3 , and Fe 2 O 3 are so measured and mixed to obtain the composition ratios x and y shown in Table 1 and formula 1. Samples -1 to -27 shown in Table 1 are prepared by mixing the shown materials for 16 hours in a ball-mill and is pulverized for 18 hours after it is calcinated at 1200°C. After the powder of material is dried and mixed, a polyvinyl alcohol solution having a concentration of more than 10 weight% is added to an 8 weight% of the total sample. The sample is formed into granules which are molded in a formed shown in Fig. 2. After inserting platinum tubes 2a and 2b, the mold is sintered at a temperature of 1600°C, and by this, thermistor element 1 is obtained. Samples 2 to 27 are prepared by applying the same processes (Al 1-x-y Cr x Fe y ) 2 O 3 According to the structure of conventional temperature sensor, the obtained thermistor element 1 is disposed in heat-resistant cap 4 in order to determine the thermistor resistances at temperatures of 300°C, 600°C, and 850°C. These resistances expressed in terms of R300, R600, and R850 are shown in Table 1. The resistance of the elements at a temperature of 300°C is measured after an endurance test conducted at 900°C for 1000 hours in a sealed condition. Defining the per cent of resistance change determined for the initial resistance as ΔR300, ΔR300 are tabulated and are shown in Table 1. The per-cent of resistance change of ΔR300 is obtained by using the formula 6 shown below. (resistance after the sealed endurance test - initial resistance)/initial resistance x 100 (%) Sample No. Composition Resistivity (kΩ) R-change X Y R300 R600 R850 % ΔR300 1 0.85 0.1 0.24 0.038 0.014 +11 2 0.6 0.35 1.32 0.280 0.110 -8 3 0.7 0.1 1.50 0.150 0.042 +7 4 0.4 0.4 0.87 0.174 0.071 -10 5 0.7 0 38.10 3.330 1.200 +37 6 0.65 0.05 55.00 2.300 0.650 +18 7 0.5 0.2 5.47 0.247 0.100 -2 8 0.3 0.4 0.15 0.035 0.015 -13 9 0.5 0.1 316.7 5.870 1.150 +6 10 0.4 0.2 1.10 0.160 0.070 -4 11 0.3 0.3 0.10 0.028 0.011 -12 12 0.24 0.36 0.075 0.024 0.012 -18 13 0.4 0.1 619.50 3.100 1.800 +9 14 0.3 0.2 0.58 0.110 0.055 -6 15 0.2 0.3 0.022 0.009 0.006 -15 16 0.15 0.35 0.17 0.008 0.004 -18 17 0.34 0.06 725.0 2.32 0.100 +12 18 0.3 0.1 31.42 2.900 1.000 +3 19 0.2 0.2 0.70 0.130 0.053 -7 20 0.1 0.3 0.55 0.130 0.070 -30 21 0.285 0.015 10.00 1.100 0.320 +17 22 0.2 0.1 830.0 33.290 5.590 -3 23 0.15 0.15 8.70 1.380 0.500 -10 24 0.15 0.05 73.50 7.390 2.070 +9 25 0.2 0.1 950.0 38.100 6.400 -1 26 0.025 0.025 1300.0 41.400 6.100 -6 27 0.02 0.03 245.0 24.630 6.900 -15 Proved by Sample 20 shown in Table 1, when the content of Fe is increased, the value of y/(x+y) is brought to more than a value of 0.6, so that the percent of resistance change is as large as -30%. The reason for this can be attributed to the transformation of Fe 2 O 3 into Fe 3 O 4 when it is placed in a high temperature reduction environment in which its oxygen atoms are lost, producing an imbalance between the P and N types. Moreover, an increase of Fe components may cause a crack in the ceramic element. On the other hand, Sample 5 containing no Fe components, that is, containing no N-type materials shows a percent of resistance change as large as +37%. Embodiment 2 A second embodiment of the invention is now explained below. As the starting materials, proper amounts of Al 2 O 3 , Cr 2 O 3 , Fe 2 O 3 and CaCO 3 are measured and mixed to obtain the composition ratios X, Y, shown in Table 2 and formula 2 in order to prepare Samples 28 to 39 shown in Table 2. (Al 1-x-y Cr x Fe y ) 2 O 3 + a atomic% of CaO Samples -28 to -39 are prepared according to the processes employed in Embodiment-1 except that a sintering temperature of 1500°C is employed. The obtained thermistor elements are disposed in heat-resistant cap 4 in order to determine the resistances at temperatures of 300°C, 600°C, and 850°C. These resistances expressed in terms of R300, R600, and R850 are shown in Table 2. Then, the resistances of the thermistor elements at a temperature of 300°C are measured after an endurance test is conducted at 900°C for 1000 hours in a sealed condition. The per cents of resistance changes ΔR300 derived from formula 6 are tabulated in Table 2 also. Sample No. Composition Resistivity (kΩ) Density ratio 1 Density ratio 2 R-change X Y a R300 R600 R850 % ΔR300 28 0.85 0.1 5 0.22 0.035 0.013 98.3 92.8 +7 29 0.7 0.1 3 1.450 0.144 0.038 97.5 93.2 +6 30 0.65 0.05 5 45.0 1.900 0.330 97.8 90.0 +11 31 0.5 0.1 2 25.7 5.170 0.590 98.2 93.5 +9 32 0.3 0.2 0.5 0.56 0.107 0.051 97.8 96.2 -8 33 0.3 0.1 2 3.10 2.850 0.980 97.9 97.2 -2 34 0.285 0.015 1.0 9.70 1.060 0.312 96.1 91.8 +13 35 0.2 0.1 0.5 91.0 40.00 7.070 96.4 95.7 -3 36 0.16 0.24 1.0 12.30 1.870 0.750 97.2 96.7 -18 37 0.025 0.025 0.1 1180.0 38.70 5.950 98.7 95.1 -7 38 0.7 0.1 0.05 1.48 0.14 0.038 89.5 90.2 +25 39 0.3 0.2 6 0.38 0.098 0.052 87.3 93.2 -30 Since no solid-solution is formed between the main component of thermistor and the CaO component, the CaO component is segregated at the grain boundaries. As proved by Sample 39 shown in Table 2, when the CaO component is added to a level exceeding 5 atomic %, a fair amount of CaO component is lost during the sintering process leaving a porous thermistor there. Therefore, more of the oxygen is lost from the material, causing a long-term resistance change of more than 20%. Furthermore, as proved by Sample-38 listed in Table 2, when the CaO component is added only to an amount less than 0.1 atomic per cent, a sintering temperature lower by nearly 100°C than that shown in Embodiment 1 has to be employed. Therefore, the density of the obtained sintered material is low and the per-cent of resistance change is high. The theoretical densities ratios derived of the materials obtained when CaO component is added and not added, expressed by Density ratios 1 and 2, are tabulated in Table 2. The theoretical density ratio are derived from the following formula: (material density)/(theoretical density)x 100%. The values of density ratio 2 listed in Table 2 are obtained with samples prepared for Embodiment 1 to which no CaO is added. As shown in Table 2, high-density thermistors can be obtained when a fair amount of CaO is added although a sintering temperature lower by nearly 100°C is employed. Moreover, the addition of CaO is more effective to the materials containing more of the chromium element. Embodiment 3 A third embodiment of the invention is now explained below. As the starting materials, proper amounts of Al 2 O 3 , Cr 2 O 3 , Fe 2 O 3 , CaCO 3 , and oxides of rare-earth (Y 2 O 3 , La 2 O 3 , CeO 2 , Pr 6 O 11 , Nd 2 , O 3 , Sm 2 O 3 , Eu 2 O 3 , Gd 2 O 3 , Tb 4 O 7 , Dy 2 O 3 , Ho 2 O 3 , Er 2 O 3 , Tm 2 O 3 , Yb 2 O 3 , Lu 2 O 3 ) are mixed to attain the composition ratios x, y, a, b specified in Table 3 and formula 3 shown below in order to prepare Samples -40 to -77. (Al 1-x-y Cr x Fe y ) 2 O 3 + a atomic% of rare-earth oxide + b atomic% of CaO These materials are processed under the previously shown condition employed to prepare the thermistor samples of Embodiment 1. The prepared samples are then sealed in heat-resistant cap 4 in order to determine the resistances at high temperatures of 300°C, 600°C, and 900°C. The obtained resistances expressed in terms of R300, R600, and R900 are listed in Table 3. Then, the resistances of the elements at a temperature of 300°C are measured after an endurance test at 1100°C is conductd for 1000 hours in a sealed condition, and the per-cents of resistance change, ΔR300, derived from formula 6 are tabulated in Table 3 also. In Embodiment 3 of the invention, the addition of rare-earth oxide and CaO are to obtain high-density thermistor elements and to prevent the depletion of oxygen due to the occluded gas. The rare-earth oxide takes a form of (RE) CrO 3 of perovskite structure when it is segregated at the grain boundaries. In this case, the RE i.e., , rare-earth element and CaO are segregated independently at the grain boundaries without making a solid-solution with the major material of the thermistor. In the cases where the amount of added rare-earth oxide is more than 10 atomic% such as the cases of Samples -42, -54, and -66 shown in Table 3, the degree of (RE)CrO 3 segregation is increased, causing a fair amount of loss of Cr, loss of the balance of semiconductor characteristics, and resistance changes far exceeding ±20. Sample No. Composition Resistivity (kΩ) R-Change X Y a RE b R300 R600 R900 % ΔR300 40 0.5 0.2 0.1 Y 0 5.15 0.27 0.053 -3 41 0.3 0.1 5 Y 0.1 29.50 3.10 0.89 +4 42 0.3 0.1 15 Y 0.1 25.70 2.85 0.68 +45 43 0.4 0.2 2 La 0 1.10 0.175 0.06 -2 44 0.2 0.1 8 La 0 790.0 34.73 6.14 -4 45 0.85 0.1 10 Ce 3 0.19 0.038 0.016 +7 46 0.2 0.2 3 Ce 0 0.64 0.135 0.056 -8 47 0.2 0.2 0.05 Ce 0 0.63 0.128 0.053 -30 48 0.4 0.1 7 Pr 0 543.2 6.020 0.495 +8 49 0.025 0.025 0.5 Pr 0 1115.0 48.29 8.320 -6 50 0.3 0.3 1 Nd 0 0.088 0.027 0.014 -9 51 0.16 0.24 4 Nd 0 0.52 0.130 0.061 -14 52 0.7 0.1 8 Sm 2 1.36 0.157 0.050 +10 53 0.2 0.3 2 Sm 0 0.015 0.008 0.005 -12 54 0.2 0.3 20 Sm 0 0.011 0.006 0.003 -37 55 0.3 0.1 0.7 Eu 0 3.072 2.88 0.760 +6 56 0.2 0.1 3.5 Eu 0 918.0 41.30 7.390 -4 57 0.65 0.05 1.5 Ru 5 51.8 2.33 0.420 +16 58 0.285 0.015 9 Ru 0 8.30 1.045 0.33 +17 59 0.7 0.1 4 Gd 3 1.37 0.154 0.045 +10 60 0.2 0.3 6 Gd 0 0.018 0.08 0.004 -9 61 0.2 0.3 0.03 Gd 0 0.018 0.08 0.004 -47 62 0.5 0.1 0.5 Tb 0 294.4 5.77 0.65 +6 63 0.2 0.2 7.5 Tb 0 0.58 0.117 0.048 -8 64 0.3 0.4 2.5 Dy 0 0.13 0.032 0.015 -10 65 0.34 0.06 10 Dy 0 518.0 36.24 2.30 +8 66 0.34 0.06 17 Dy 0 498.0 30.50 1.75 +38 67 0.25 0.35 0.8 Ho 0 0.088 0.026 0.014 -16 68 0.18 0.12 5.2 Ho 0 485.0 28.09 5.780 -4 69 0.73 0.22 1.5 Er 2 0.85 0.155 0.06 +7 70 0.25 0.15 7.3 Er 0 7.30 1.020 0.34 +4 71 0.4 0.1 4 Tm 0.5 487.5 5.40 0.44 +4 72 0.03 0.02 9 Tm 0 850.0 37.37 0.66 -8 73 0.42 0.18 2.5 Yb 0 3.80 0.40 0.115 +2 74 0.32 0.08 7 Yb 0 323.0 11.10 1.520 +11 75 0.32 0.08 0.02 Yb 0 320.0 10.95 1.47 +50 76 0.64 0.16 0.2 Lu 1 1.25 0.145 0.050 +9 77 0.22 0.28 10 Lu 0 0.17 0.06 0.350 -12 Then, in the cases where no CaO is added and the amount of added rare-earth oxide is less than 0.1 atomic%, such as the cases of Samples -47, -61, and -75 shown in Table 3, resistance changes far exceeding ±20% are produced. Moreover, when the resistance changes observed after the sealed endurance test, are compared with those obtained with Embodiments 1 and 2, the differences are very small, despite a testing temperature higher by nearly 200°C than those in Embodiments 1 and 2 has been employed. Thus, this proves a considerable increase of heat resistance. Embodiment 4 A fourth embodiment of the invention is explained below. As the starting materials, proper amounts of Al 2 O 3 , Cr 2 O 3 , Fe 2 O 3 , CaCO 3 , and ThO 2 , are mixed to obtain the composition ratios x, y, a, and b specified in Table 4 and formula 4, and by this, Samples -78 to -88 are prepared. (Al 1-x-y Cr x Fe y ) 2 O 3 + a atomic% of ThO 2 + b atomic% of CaO These thermistor materials are processed under the condition employed in Embodiment 1. The samples are then sealed in a heat-resistant cap 4 in order to determine the respective resistances at temperatures of 300°C, 600°C, and 900°C. The measured resistances are expressed in terms of R300, R600 and R900 in Table 4. Then, the resistances at a temperature of 300°C are measured after an endurance test conducted at 1100°C for 1000 hours in a sealed condition, and the per-cents of resistance change ΔR300 are shown in Table 4 also. In this embodiment of the invention, since both the added components of ThO 2 and CaO are segregated at the grain boundary without making solid solutions with the major materials of the thermistor and ThO 2 is stable in reductive atmosphere, the effects obtained by rare-earth oxide can be obtained by adding ThO 2 for only one-tenth of the rare-earth oxide. Sample No. Composition Resistivity (kΩ) R-Change X Y a b R300 R600 R900 % ΔR300 78 0.6 0.35 2 0.5 1.150 0.245 0.098 -11 79 0.4 0.4 3 0 0.750 0.152 0.035 -8 80 0.5 0.2 0.01 0 5.400 0.220 0.095 -3 81 0.4 0.2 0.5 0 1.040 0.148 0.064 -6 82 0.4 0.2 12 0 2.780 0.180 0.100 -25 83 0.4 0.1 0.2 2.5 59.50 2.970 1.620 +4 84 0.2 0.2 10 0 0.52 0.110 0.047 -13 85 0.2 0.2 0.005 0 0.70 0.130 0.050 -36 86 0.285 0.015 5 5 7.80 2.12 0.38 +12 87 0.15 0.05 7 2 62.0 6.20 1.500 +10 88 0.02 0.03 0.7 0.7 238.0 24.00 6.450 -12 However, when the amount of the added ThO 2 is more than 10 atomic%, such as the case of Sample-82 shown in Table 4, much of the sintering characteristics is lost, and resistance changes exceeding -20% are caused. Moreover, when no CaO is added and the amount of the added ThO 2 is less than 0.01 atomic% such as the case of Sample-85, a resistance change exceeding -20% is produced likewise. On the other hand, however, the maximum operational temperature can be increased by about 200°C like the cases where rare-earth is added. Embodiment 5 A fifth embodiment of the invention is explained below. As the starting materials, proper amounts of Al 2 O 3 , Cr 2 O 3 , Fe 2 O 3 , CaCO 3 , and ZrO 2 , are mixed to attain the composition ratios x, y, a, and b specified in Table 5 and formula 5, and by this, Samples -89 to -101 are prepared. (Al 1-x-y Cr x Fe y ) 2 O 3 + a atomic% of ZrO 2 + b atomic% of CaO Sample No. Composition Resistivity (kΩ) R-Change X Y a b R300 R600 R900 % ΔR300 89 0.60 0.35 25 4 0.78 0.099 0.031 -9 90 0.3 0.4 5 5 0.22 0.047 0.020 -15 91 0.3 0.4 25 5 0.42 0.080 0.032 -11 92 0.3 0.4 40 5 0.53 0.095 0.036 -29 93 0.3 0.2 4.5 3.5 0.18 0.052 0.021 -12 94 0.3 0.2 12.7 3.5 0.255 0.063 0.029 -7 95 0.3 0.2 25.4 3.5 0.32 0.075 0.035 -5 96 0.3 0.2 37.2 3.5 0.48 0.120 0.043 -30 97 0.3 0.1 7.5 0.5 34.0 3.10 0.830 +3 98 0.3 0.1 15 0.5 40.5 3.39 0.855 +4 99 0.3 0.1 30.0 0.5 52.5 3.98 0.755 +6 100 0.02 0.03 10 1 324.0 30.40 8.18 -10 101 0.475 0.025 0.1 0 22.7 2.57 0.555 +12 These thermistor materials are processed under the previously shown condition employed in Embodiment 1. The samples are then sealed in heat-resistant cap 4 in order to determine the respective resistances at temperatures of 300°C, 600°C, and 900°C. Table 5 shows these resistances expressed in terms of R300, R600, and R900. Then, the resistances of the elements at a temperature of 300°C are measured after an endurance test conducted at 1100°C for 1000 hours in a sealed condition, and the per-cents of resistance changes ΔR300 are tabulated in Table 5 also. In this embodiment of the invention, both the added components of ZrO 2 and CaO are independently segregated along the grain boundary without making solid-solutions with the major materials of thermistor. However, when the amount of added ZrO 2 is more than 30 atomic%, such as the cases of Samples -92 and 96 shown in Table 5, much of the sintering characteristics is lost, and resistance changes exceeding -20% are produced. The maximum operational temperature can be increased by about 200°C also like the cases where ThO 2 or rare-earth oxide is added. Moreover, the thermistor resistivity can be controlled in a wider range by adjusting the amount of ZrO 2 keeping the major thermistor composition at constant. Furthermore, as seen from Embodiments 1 to 5, the thermistor materials can be molded not only in the form of a disk shown in Fig. 2, but can be glass molded or molded in other forms according to the purpose of the application, yielding a high-performance thermistor to be incorporated in a temperature sensor.

Claims: A temperature sensor comprising a thermistor disposed in a heat-resistant cap and lead wires electrically connected to said thermistor in order to connect said thermistor to an external circuit, wherein said thermistor is constituted of a material having the chemical composition (Al 1-x-y Cr x Fe y ) 2 O 3 , wherein 0.05 ≤ x+y ≤ 0.95, 0.05 ≤ y/(x+y) ≤ 0.6. A temperature sensor according to claim 1, wherein said thermistor sensor is constituted of a material having the chemical composition (Al 1-x-y Cr x Fe y ) 2 O 3 + a atomic% of CaO, wherein 0.05 ≤ x+y ≤ 0.95, 0.05 ≤ y/(x+y) ≤ 0.6., 0.1 ≤ a ≤ 5 and wherein (Al 1-x-y Cr x Fe y ) 2 O 3 = 100 atomic%. A temperature sensor according to claim 1, wherein said thermistor is constituted of a material having the chemical composition (Al 1-x-y Cr x Fe y ) 2 O 3 + a atomic% of rare-earth oxide + b atomic% of CaO, wherein 0.05 ≤ x+y ≤ 0.95, 0.05 ≤ y/(x+y)≤0.6, 0.1 ≤ a ≤ 10, 0 ≤ b ≤ 5 and wherein (Al 1-x-y Cr x Fe y ) 2 O 3 = 100 atomic%. A temperature sensor according to claim 1, wherein said thermistor is constituted of a material having the chemical composition (Al 1-x-y Cr x Fe y ) 2 O 3 + a atomic% of ThO 2 + b atomic% of CaO, wherein 0.05 ≤ x+y ≤ 0.95, 0.05 ≤ y/(x+y)≤0.6, 0.01 ≤ a ≤ 10, 0 ≤ b ≤ 5 and wherein (Al 1-x-y Cr x Fe y ) 2 O 3 = 100 atomic%. A temperature sensor according to claim 1, wherein said thermistor is constituted of a material having the chemical composition (Al 1-x-y Cr x Fe y ) 2 O 3 + a atomic% of ZrO 2 + b atomic% of CaO, wherein 0.05 ≤ x+y ≤ 0.95, 0.05 ≤ y/(x+y) ≤ 0.6, 0.1 ≤ a ≤ 30, 0 ≤ b ≤ 5 and wherein (Al 1-x-y Cr x Fe y ) 2 O 3 = 100 atomic%. A method of manufacturing a temperature sensor according to any of claims 1 to 5 by which a thermistor fabricated by the process steps of uniformly mixing the starting compounds for a material having one of the chemical compositions A to E, molding the material depositing of electrodes and sintering is disposed in a heat-resistant cap and lead wires electrically connected to said thermistor electrodes are lead out of said heat-resistant cap; wherein chemical compositions A to E are: A: (Al 1-x-y Cr x Fe y ) 2 O 3 , wherein 0.05 ≤ x+y ≤ 0.95, 0.05 ≤ y/(x+y) ≤ 0.6; B: (Al 1-x-y Cr x Fe y ) 2 O 3 + a atomic% of CaO, wherein 0.05 ≤ x+y ≤ 0.95, 0.05 ≤ y/(x+y) ≤ 0.6, 0.1 ≤ a ≤ 5, and wherein (Al 1-x-y Cr x Fe y ) 2 O 3 = 100 atomic%; C: (Al 1-x-y Cr x Fe y ) 2 O 3 + a atomic% of rare-earth oxide + b atomic% of CaO, wherein 0.05 ≤ x+y ≤ 0.95, 0.05 ≤ y/(x+y) ≤ 0.6, 01 ≤ a ≤ 5, 0 ≤ b ≤ 5 and wherein (Al 1-x-y Cr x Fe y ) 2 O 3 = 100 atomic%; D: (Al 1-x-y Cr x Fe y ) 2 O 3 + a atomic% of ThO 2 + b atomic% of CaO, wherein 0.05 ≤ x+y ≤ 0.95, 0.05 ≤ y/(x+y) ≤ 0.6, 0.01 ≤ a ≤ 10, 0 ≤ b ≤ 5 and wherein (Al 1-x-y Cr x Fe y ) 2 O 3 = 100 atomic%; E: (Al 1-x-y Cr x Fe y ) 2 O 3 + a atomic% of ZrO 2 + b atomic% of CaO, wherein 0.05 ≤ x+y ≤ 0.95, 0.05 ≤ y/(x+y) ≤ 0.6, 0.1 ≤ a ≤ 30, 0 ≤ b ≤ 5 and wherein (Al 1-x-y Cr x Fe y ) 2 O 3 = 100 atomic%.

Inventors: HATA TAKUOKI, MORIWAKE HIROKI, SAKODA YOKO, TAKAHASHI MASAYUKI, HATA, TAKUOKI, MORIWAKE, HIROKI, SAKODA, YOKO, TAKAHASHI, MASAYUKI
Applicants: MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC IND CO LTD, MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD.
Application year: 1994
Main classification: G01K7
IPC codes: G01K7, H01C7